Hindutva activist Hotte Manja booked for attempt to kill rationalist Bhagavan

Bengaluru, Mar 10: Naveen Kumar KT alias Hotte Manja, a hardline Hindutva activist and gunrunner, who was arrested last month in connection with the murder of journactivist Gauri Lankesh, has now been booked for allegedly plotting to assassinate progressive writer and rationalist Prof. K S Bhagavan.

The police on Friday added Section 307 (attempt to murder) and Section 120(b) (criminal conspiracy) to the FIR. 37-year-old Naveen was allegedly part of a group that was plotting a target the writer in a manner similar to how Guari Lankesh was killed.

“Naveen Kumar did a recce for the planned hit on professor Bhagavan. He along with his associates surveyed the writer’s house in Mysuru, and other places he frequented,” said a senior police officer.

“They also conducted target practices in isolated places in Chamarajanagar forest range. During a detailed questioning, the accused confessed to this, and we have sufficient evidence to corroborate the conspiracy,” said the officer.

According to officials, Naveen, who hails from Madur taluk of Mandya district, founded the right-wing extremist organisation, Hindu Yuva Sene. The police picked him up from Kempegowda Bus Station, Bengaluru, on February 18 while he was allegedly waiting for his associates. Fifteen live cartridges — .32 calibre — were recovered from him.

“He was on our radar and his arrest was timely. We believe that a delay on our part would have allowed him to target professor Bhagavan,” said the officer. Naveen was arrested in connection with this case and a city court remanded him in police custody for nine days on February 19. On March 2, he was remanded in judicial custody.

The 5th Additional Metropolitan Magistrate, on Friday, granted bail to Naveen in connection with the arms case. The bail was granted minutes before the SIT submitted to the court documents to add Section 307 — which is a non-bailable one — and section 120(B) in the FIR. “We are filing a revision petition before the court seeking cancellation of the bail,” said M.N. Anucheth, Deputy Commissioner of Police, (West).